Rainbow Shelf: 5 Violet Books
Violet is the end of the Rainbow Shelves much as it is the last color in the rainbow (see red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo), and I was pleasantly surprised at the range of purple books I owned. When I first thought of the Rainbow Shelves this was the one color I was unsure if I owned enough to make a shelf of. I had to branch out past violet, but I was able to fill a shelf.
Without further ado, 5 more violet books:
[image error]
1.
Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
While this is the second book (after Strange the Dreamer), the first book has a fascinating enough premise and high enough reviews I am not worried about wanting to read this one at all. The flap of the book has a short but provocative description:
Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old.
She believed she knew every horror and was beyond surprise.
She was wrong.
Muse of Nightmares
I’d say that is definitely eye-catching and since the first book involves the concept of the dream choosing the dreamer I am onboard for this book.
[image error]
2.
If They Come For Us: Poems by Fatimah Asghar
Poetry can be difficult to recommend because even among poetry lovers tastes can be so diverse. To understand some of the pieces in Asghar’s collection some knowledge of the history of Pakistan helps, although a brief Google search of the key terms can get you an outline of the events mentioned such as the Partition. She captures the experience of being a Pakistini Muslim woman in America by braiding her experiences together with the past experiences of her people.
Her voice here is powerful, nuanced, and rich for any reader. The cover fits so well with the content as well – I haven’t hesitated to recommend this to many fellow readers.
[image error]
3.
And I Darken by Kiersten White
This is the first book of The Conqueror’s Saga – an appropriate title for a set of works that is a major retelling of the clad Vlad Tepes/Dracula story. Lada Dragwyla is brutal as she maneuvers the Ottoman Court, and this retelling also has a character many Dracula stories leave out – the younger brother. Lada, her younger brother Radu, and Mehmed, son of the Sultan, enter into a tricky friendship.
I was fascinated to come across a re-telling that has the historic characters of Radu and Mehmed (actual Vlad Tepes younger brother and the Sultan he advised to help drive Tepes out) and a genderbent Vlad Tepes. The relationship between Radu and Mehmed historically fascinates me so I don’t know if I will like this retelling, but it certainly caught my attention.
[image error]
4.
My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward by Mark Lukach
A memoir of a young marriage and mental illness promises to be heart-wrenching, but I would like to believe it will also be hopeful. Reading memoirs by or about people with mental illnesses and how the world ripples around them is a particular interest point for me.
The summary of the book says it raises questions like: How do we care for the people we love? What and who do we live for? Those questions are so important, and I want to hear the answers that someone who has a loved one with a mental illness has found.
[image error]
5.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Women by Balli Kaur Jaswal
I did not find this book, this book found me. A co-worker had a copy and said she would like to lend it to me. I read the title, raised my eyebrows, and said “Sure”. After all, who turns down a book recommendation that comes with the actual book?
Starting out I was a little hesitant, and the very dramatic murder plot didn’t actually manage to hold my attention all that much (although it was a shocking addition), but I fell in love with this story by the end. The title is very accurate, but this story also focuses on usurping your expectations for others and connecting across generational divides. The personalities of the individual widows and how they have been shaped by their surroundings, and how they continue to evolve in their own worlds is a powerful story.
Now for the list of the purple books I had on my shelf:
Fantasy Film Post 9/11 by Frances Pheasant-KellyThe Middle Ages, Volume I, Sources of Medieval History by Brian TierneyAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis CarrollOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García MárquezBasic Korean by Andrew Sangpil ByonFantasy and Social Movements by James S. OrmrodMap: Collected and Last Poems by Wisława SzymborskaInkdeath by Cornelia FunkeThe Curious Bartender by Tristan StephensonThe Book of Lost Things by John ConnollyCarry On by Rainbow RowellStudent’s Life Application Bible, King James VersionAfter the Quake by Haruki MurakamiThe Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah BucholzThe Four Ponies of the Apocalypse by L. G. HertzThe Truth About Magic by Atticus
